Costa & Luc had an interesting day that was forecasted to rain all day long. Ironically, we never had a drop of rain! The winds were even light for most part with some east & south east at times. They were going to be spending most of their time dropshotting with the cold front we were locked into.

It took a little longer than I expected to get on the board but not for lack of trying. Several misses were had before Costa finally brought one to net. It was tough for them to get the feel for the bottom while fishing the presentation vertically!

Throughout the day we switched locations and pretty much hit some fish wherever we went. Most were on the smaller than usual side but some were worthy of pics. More bass than walleye were also landed making for great fights! I even brought them shallower in one place where they managed to get several more fish casting.

The entire day was slower than I had thought it would be, with overcast skies and very light winds. I’m sure the water temps had something to do with the lack of aggression as they dipped to 67 degrees! Despite the slow fishing they still managed to bring plenty of fish aboard before they were done. They even learned a new technique that may help them in their future fishing!

Chris was with me this morning along with his son, Will. We headed out for some walleye & smallie action and hopefully they would get into them good, before we headed back to the dock. His wife Widdia would be joining us as well for the remainder of the trip and we would be picking her up and returning to the water.

Well, we spent almost 2 hours without putting a fish in the boat but not for lack of trying! Although I was marking them where we were, they were tight lipped! With the exception of one bite on Will’s line that left him bait less, nada! Not knowing when Chris’s wife would be joining us, I had decided to remain close by, but now it was time to move. I headed to the other side and we would fish there instead!

Several passes were made in the area and a few decent fish were landed, finally putting us on the board! Chris managed to get the ball rolling with a nice smallie and Will soon followed with a smaller one. Not wanting to leave the area, we unfortunately had to when Chris got the call. We were on our way back to get his wife!

After the pickup I realized that we were about to get into some rain and suggested that everyone don the raingear! Smart decision as we headed right into the wetness as we ran to our first fishing spot!

I had spent about 30 minutes in the area having everyone casting the dropshot without even a touch. Another move was in order after I raised the roof with slightly heavier rain now falling. This time we were going to try a little drifting with the drop shot as casting with the roof up wouldn’t be easy where I wanted to go. Chris didn’t take long before getting into another nice smallie and just like this morning, his son soon followed. Widdia was new to fishing in general and unfortunately lost a few before finally keeping her first fish pinned. Too bad too as she had a couple of quality bass throw the hook when they took to the air on a spectacular jump. We definitely knew their size as it was ten feet from the boat when they went to the air!

We made many drifts over the deep shoals and plenty of chances were had with several fish coming aboard. Eventually with about an hour or so remaining in the day, I headed to an area that I hoped would put a few walleye in the boat for them to bring home. Chris had wanted to eat some fish tonight and I didn’t want to disappoint!

With the rain still falling I kept the roof up as they casted the drop shot rig next to the weeds. It didn’t take long before the first keeper was in the box and it didn’t end there! In the remaining time they managed to put a limit of fish in the livewell and released a bunch of others. In between the walleye being caught, there were also several smallies giving them a banner finish for the day.

Just before we were to leave, the rain stopped and I was able to put the cover down for the run back. It figures that they had to endure Mother Nature’s misery that ended just before we were done! Oh well, it didn’t seem to bother them or the fish any as the action was great today. It may have been a slow start, but it definitely ended with a bang!

Haig was with me for the afternoon and he brought his daughters Katia and Talia along as well. We would be starting a bit early due to the wet weather on the way and hit the water about 10:30. I hoped it wouldn’t be as bad as they predicted!

First stop was a little slow with absolutely zero wind and getting bites was difficult as best. It actually felt like there was no current! Haig did manage to get a couple of bass and one was a true giant! Despite all their efforts though, the girls came up empty. They did however miss a couple of strikes in the number of casts they made!

Our next stop had everyone casting a drop shot and both girls managed to get into some walleye. A couple of them were even keepers and would be joining them for dinner tonight! I probably shouldn’t have left this area but the rain began to fall and it didn’t look like it was going to stop anytime soon. I needed to get the roof up and decided to make a long run before putting it up for them to fish more comfortably.

The next spot saw them drifting and dropshotting open water shoals once the top was raised. It made for difficult fishing but at least they would remain dry! Everyone had shots at fish but unfortunately strikes were missed while we covered the areas. The winds also didn’t make the drift easy as we gained more speed with the roof. It wasn’t easy to slow the boat to a fishable drift and sometimes they weren’t even touching the bottom. Time for some adjustment!

Misery was upon us with the wind & rain and one of the girls decided to tap out for a while and not fish. This allowed me to take a different approach with the drift by pointing the bow into the wind to slow the speed down. Apparently it was the right choice as now we were fishing vertically!

Haig and Katia both managed to hook several fish in the remaining time and some of them came in the boat before we were done. Both bass & walleye were landed in this wet weather, but they didn’t seem to mind a little dampness. As long as they were catching fish, they didn’t care!

One more stop in the place that gave up a couple of the better walleye saw us struggling to get bit. The winds and waves made it too tough to fish and despite many casts by everyone, only one perch was taken from here. The fish had just vacated this spot entirely with the weather change and now, so were we!

Although tough at times, this afternoon proved to be a great experience for everyone. They all managed to get into some fish and that’s all that matters! Mother Nature could have been a little kinder to the girls but unfortunately, that’s out of my control. In the end, they were able to bring some fish home with them and plenty of memories of the day’s events. Hopefully they’ll be back again and with any luck, it’ll be a nice day full of fish and even more great memories!

Maren & Victoria were back again today and brought Lana & Emmanuel with them as well. After last week’s outing, it left them wanting more! Hopefully I would be able to get everyone into fish in the short half day trip this morning.

We made a long run to an area where I wanted to have them drop shot due to the big waves from the W/NW. With lines in and a brief orientation, it didn’t take long before Victoria was into a fish. She managed to get what turned out to be the best walleye of the day! The others missed fish as well and after several drifts over the same shoal, everyone was on the board. Mostly bass were landed but several other small walleye also came in as well.

After milking the area for every bite, I jumped to a few other shoals in hopes of another flurry. Although they each held fish, there were only a couple from every spot! Time for another move before we had to head back!

With under an hour remaining before we needed to return, I anchored up on a spot that I knew definitely held fish. It wasn’t going to be easy as they all had to cast. To make matters worse, we were in current and they had to go in rotation so as not to tangle with each other!

Lana was at the back and she managed to land a couple of good fish before anyone else did. One was a walleye that made the cut and the other a real nice northern. By the time we were done, everyone managed to get into fish here but it was Victoria that had the hot hand with two good smallies and a walleye. She also missed a few other fish that were on the line, but just briefly!

As usual, the morning passed by quickly but good numbers of fish were landed today! They all had multiple shots and brought a percentage of their bites to net. Some of them even went in the box for their dinner tonight! All in all it was a pretty good outing filled with plenty of laughs. Oh yeah, fish too!

Frank & his nephew Nick were with me this morning, looking to learn a new technique. I would be focussing on dropshotting a few areas, both deep & shallow. Casting & vertically fishing small baits in hopes of enticing a few bass & walleye!

Our first stop had them learning the ropes with a couple of demo casts that had me locked up instantly on a walleye. Now it was their turn! Frank got the ball rolling with his first bass of the day but not before missing a few strikes. Nick too had several chances but came up empty as well. The learning curve was tough but I knew they would eventually get the hang of casting this rig.

We spent over an hour in the first place and despite many misses, they both managed to land fish. Frank nailed another good bass along with a couple of walleye. Nick finally got on the board after several frustrating dropped fish and missed strikes with a really nice walleye. Unfortunately it had to be released, as it was definitely over the slot!

I decided to make a move after being plagued by countless giant cruisers. They were coming through on plough and waves felt like an ocean on these flat calm waters! We were going to continue dropshotting but this time vertically.

I hit several spots in the 20 to 30 foot range but they were only able to drum up a couple of small bass today. Not wanting to waste any more time deep, I decided to go back shallower and resume the casting. Hopefully they would be able to catch several more fish during this morning trip!

Once I found what I was looking for, Nick was on fire! For a while he had fish hitting on every cast and managed to put more walleye in the boat for them to bring home. Frank wasn’t as lucky but he did catch several fish as well before we were done. After Nick made one final cast and landed another walleye, we packed up and headed back. They had officially completed dropshotting 101 and it was a success!

Frank & Nick may have started out slow but they definitely ended with a bang! They also managed to box a limit of walleye that would be going home with them for dinner tonight. I call that a win!